Conference co-champion Chiara Brown of the University of La Verne and Whittier College’s Rhe Nae Leach headline the 2024 SCIAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference teams as the Offensive and Defensive Athletes of the Year.
Brown ranked second in the conference in scoring with 22.2 points per game with a SCIAC-leading 139 field goals at a clip of 45.7 percent which was good for fifth in the conference. She nearly averaged a double-double with 9.9 rebounds which also ranked sixth and was second in blocked shots at 1.1 per game. The Leopards also were the second-stingiest defense in the conference at just 62.3 points allowed per game.
Leach was a key component of the conference’s stingiest defense by more than six points as Whittier College jumped out to an 8-2 start to the conference slate. She ranked among the top 10 in all five major statistical categories, averaging 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks in addition to 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and was third in the conference for field goal percentage (.463) and fourth with 18.0 points per game.
Alline Ballard of California Lutheran University was recognized as the Newcomer of the Year after leading the Regals to a share of the SCIAC title at 13-3 with the conference’s top offense that averaged 71.4 points per game with an average margin of victory at 5.9 points. She ranked fourth in the SCIAC with a .463 field goal percentage, scoring 13.5 points per game to crack the top 10 as a rookie.
The Ed Baldwin Sportsmanship Award was presented to Zoe Zurasky from Chapman University. Zurasky is a team captain and two-sport athlete who went to nationals with a relay team in track & field last spring. A leader on and off the court, she is often the first player to help an opponent off the floor and greet friends from other teams.
Anahit Aladzhanyan and the Occidental College bench were voted the Coaching Staff of the Year after flipping their 2022 record of 5-11 to earn the #3 seed in the SCIAC Tournament at 11-5, even remaining in the title race until the final day of the regular season. The Tigers had the conference’s second-best margin of victory (5.7) and offense (69.3) while holding opponents to a meager .212 three-point percentage.
CLU led the conference with three total honorees, with Occidental College tying the Regals at two First Team selections apiece. La Verne, Redlands and Whittier had one player recognized on each team. Three players repeated on the First Team after appearing last year: Brown, Kathryn Edwards (Caltech) and Janna Holley (CLU). 2022 Newcomer of the Year Toni Thompson, the conference’s leading scorer this season, moved up from the Second Team after missing last year while Leach also elevated to the First Team. La Verne’s Marissa Howell repeated as All-Conference with a Second Team selection.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Offensive Athlete
of the Year |
Defensive Athlete
of the Year |
Newcomer
of the Year |
Ed Baldwin
Award |
Coaching
Staff of the Year |
Chiara Brown
La Verne |
Rhe Nae Leach
Whittier |
Alline Ballard
Cal Lutheran |
Zoe Zurasky
Chapman |
Anahit Aladzhanyan
Occidental |
| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Chiara Brown |
La Verne |
Sr. |
F |
Fremont, Calif. |
| Rhe Nae Leach |
Whittier |
Jr. |
G |
Riverside, Calif. |
| Alline Ballard |
Cal Lutheran |
Fy. |
F |
Pasadena, Calif. |
| Kathryn Edwards |
Caltech |
Jr. |
G/F |
Centennial, Colo. |
| Janna Holley |
Cal Lutheran |
So. |
PG |
Winnetka, Calif. |
| Ainsley Shelsta |
Occidental |
So. |
C |
Brookings, S.D. |
| Toni Thompson |
Occidental |
Sr. |
G |
Newbury Park, Calif. |
| Colbi Zorich |
Redlands |
So. |
F |
Kenmore, Wash. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Aliyah Anderson |
Redlands |
So. |
G/F |
Oceanside, Calif. |
| Marissa Howell |
La Verne |
Jr. |
G |
Santa Clarita, Calif. |
| Jadyn Lee |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
G |
Palos Verdes, Calif. |
| Sara Mills |
Cal Lutheran |
Jr. |
G |
Joshua Tree, Calif. |
| Makenna Nitao |
Chapman |
Fy. |
G |
Foster City, Iowa |
| LuLu Salloom |
Whittier |
Jr. |
F |
Santa Clarita, Calif. |
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